A Few Random Observations: vs DET, 10/22/11 October 23, 2011

When the Caps hold the Red Wings to 1-for-2 in 5-on-3 situations, and oh-fer everything else, I think it’s safe to say they played a damn fine game.

How did all those Red Wings fans get in the building? I’m just asking…

One of the Caps sales reps was asking me if I did a reading before the game, and I said that I hadn’t. He asked for one, and I drew the 10 of Pentacles. The 10 of Pentacles usually indicates fortune. A 7-1 whuppin’ of the best of the West sure sounds like fortune to me.

That game might have been the biggest thumpin’ to take place in DC since the 2010 congressional election.

Mike Green took a puck to the melon and ended up with a 4-point night. Now, that is hockey tough. Toward the end of the 3rd, with the game essentially over, he was open at the blue line, and it looked like he and the Detroit guy in front of him were playing chicken there for a couple of seconds. “Hat trick?” “Block?” “Double-dog dare ya…” That’s what it looked like, at least, and I thought that was kind of amusing.

Perreault was playing like he never wants to ride a bus to an away game ever again. He’s certainly going to have to work for it–he’s the shortest guy on the roster, and he might weigh 200 pounds if you covered him in mud–but when he’s going, he is GOING. Two red lights is a very good night at the office for #85.

Tomas Vokoun is playing like he wants a long-term contract with the Caps. If he keeps playing like this all year, he’d better pay for George McPhee’s resultant Nexium prescription while he’s at it.

Said it before, will say it again: enjoy the run, long may it last, great to be the #1 team in the league and all that, but this whole run will be a curiosity if the Caps get stopped before the Conference Finals.

And I have to think that expectations just inched up a bit higher after tonight. While the expectation coming in this year was almost Stanley Cup or bust, a game like this is going to raise that expectation even higher, if that’s even possible. Taking a powerhouse team like Detroit to the woodshed shows how good this team really is. And while the Wings did have a game Friday night against a division rival, you can only credit so much of the Caps’ success to fatigue on the visitors’ part. No, the Caps really were that good tonight. And if they’re this good in October against an elite squad like Detroit, they’ve now GOT to follow that up in April and May with similar command performances. I suspect they would have done so anyway, but after a romp like tonight, there can be no excuses next spring. None, zero, zip, zilch, nada, nix, nought, zot.

I’m still trying to figure out why Howard got the start against Columbus, and Conklin got the nod against the Caps. I know division games matter, but if any team in the Central is beatable by a backup, it’s the Jackets. Can someone explain why Detroit started their #1 goalie against a team that had yet to win a game, while saving their backup for the team that had yet to lose a game? On the surface, that makes less sense than all the track work that Metro is doing this weekend.

Every skater for the Caps was a plus tonight. Every. Single. One. When was the last time that happened? I’m just asking…

Meanwhile, the Caps have several days off, while second-place Pittsburgh has a home-and-home with the Islanders. The 3-3-0 Islanders. While the Islanders aren’t the doormat of the East this year–that’s probably going to end up being Winnipeg, given their brutal travel schedule–I still think it may be hoping a bit much of the blue and orange to beat Pittsburgh twice to keep us in first. Divisional game, though, so you never know. And the Penguins have already got ten games under their belts, so they might be slightly the worse for wear. In fact, Sunday and Monday are the first time this season that the Penguins are going to have more than one day between games, and they’ve even had to deal with two back-to-backs on top of that. So…maybe the Caps might hang on to the 1 spot after all.

Next up for the Caps is a brief visit to the Northwest Division, against an upstart Oilers team on Thursday, followed by the reigning Western Conference champs, the Canucks. Ah, nightcaps…don’t ya love ’em…

Speaking of nightcaps, I need to quit pulling one and wrap this post up.